Pac-12 Basketball

Ahead of Saturday's road game against Illinois, the Arizona men's basketball team took an unconventional route to Champaign, Illinois.

According to ESPN's Myron Medcalf, poor visibility due to snow, rain and tornadoes across the Midwest forced the team's flight to divert from Savoy, Illinois, to Indianapolis on Friday night.

As a result, the Arizona players and coaches decided to take Uber rides to Champaign rather than waiting for buses to arrive.

Arizona spokesperson Nathan Wiechers confirmed that everyone involved with the team is "OK" and that there were "no issues" getting to Champaign.

Medcalf noted that an Uber ride from Indianapolis to Champaign costs $127, although it may have cost more Friday amid the poor weather.

Saturday's contest is a significant one, as Arizona is off to a red-hot start under first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd, who replaced Sean Miller.

The Wildcats haven't reached the NCAA tournament since the 2017-18 season, but they are 8-0 and ranked No. 11 in the nation despite beginning the season unranked.

Most impressively, Arizona scored an 80-62 win over the Michigan Wolverines last month.

Illinois is not ranked after starting the year ranked 11th, but the Fighting Illini are 7-2 and have won five games in a row.

A win over the Wildcats would likely ensure a return to the Top 25, while beating the Illini would likely help Arizona crack the Top 10.

The University of Washington announced that the men's basketball team's road game against No. 11 Arizona, which was scheduled for Thursday in Tucson, has been postponed because of COVID-19 protocols within the UW program.

The Pac-12 conference will work with Washington and Arizona to find an acceptable makeup date.

Arizona will now open the Pac-12 slate at Oregon State on Sunday evening.

Washington's next scheduled game is home against UCLA on Sunday, though as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times noted, that game would appear to be in jeopardy with the school needing to postpone a matchup three days prior.

Arizona has begun its season with a 6-0 record. Its most recent game was a 105-59 win over Sacramento State last Saturday.

The 4-4 Huskies last played Saturday, when they lost to Winthrop 82-74 at home.

The Pac-12 had a COVID-19 scheduling concern earlier this year when Cal football was forced to postpone its Nov. 13 game against USC, although that game has now been rescheduled to this Saturday.

In addition, the Arizona women's basketball team's Friday game against UC Riverside was canceled because of concerns within the Highlanders' program.

As for the recently postponed Washington vs. Arizona game, finding a spot may not be too difficult given that the regular season will go on for three-plus months.

For now, it's unclear when Washington will play again. If the UCLA game Sunday is also canceled, the Huskies' next scheduled matchup is Sunday, Dec. 12, versus Gonzaga. 

The Arizona Wildcats upset the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines 80-62 on Sunday to move to 5-0 on the season. Arizona's win marked its first victory against a top-five team since Dec. 30, 2017. 

The Wolverines dropped to 3-2 with the loss. 

It was an incredible night for Arizona's Christian Koloko, who notched 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four blocked shots in the win. Bennedict Mathurin was also impressive, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal. 

The Wildcats were impressive defensively throughout the night, but once things were tied at 21 with seven minutes remaining in the first half, Arizona took control and pulled away in the second half. 

Arizona began the second half by making its first nine shots to push the lead to 62-45. 

The Wildcats shot 4-of-21 from deep (19 percent), but went 33-of-66 from the field (50 percent). Michigan, meanwhile, was awful from deep on Sunday, with Brandon Johns Jr. making the team's only three pointer on 14 attempts. 

Eli Brooks was the Wolverines best player Sunday, notching 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Hunter Dickinson, meanwhile, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals. 

Outside of Brooks and Dickinson, Michigan failed to get much production from anyone else. The Wolverines also had an unacceptable 10 turnovers in the first half and 15 overall. 

If Michigan has Final Four dreams, it's going to have to get better following a loss to an unranked opponent. Head coach Juwan Howard, who is in his third season, has quite a bit of work to do. Arizona, meanwhile, is looking impressive and could find themselves with Michigan among the nation's top 25 teams next week. 

The Wolverines will next face the Tarleton Texans on Wednesday, while the Wildcats won't face their next opponent, the Sacramento State Hornets, until Saturday. 

UCLA received a massive boost to its 2022 recruiting class Monday with a commitment from 5-star center Adem Bona:

Bona is ranked as the No. 19 overall player and the fifth-best center among the 2022 group in 247Sports' composite rankings. The Prolific Prep standout is also rated as the No. 3 recruit out of California.

The 18-year-old Nigerian moved to Turkey as a teenager and rose to prominence while playing for the Turkish youth national team at the FIBA U16 European Championship in 2019.

After getting a taste of professional basketball with Pinar Karsiyaka in Turkey, he moved to the United States to play at Prolific Prep as a rapidly emerging top prospect.

Although his offensive game remains a work in progress, his lanky 6'9", 225-pound frame and high-end athleticism make him a potential impact defender right away in college.

In August 2019, Bona told FIBA Basketball he looked up to former Detroit Pistons star Ben Wallace, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

"I like Ben Wallace because he was an undersized big guy and he was aggressive all the time," he said. "He would take on guys bigger than him. He made defense fun for basketball. Before Ben Wallace, there wasn't much fun on defense in basketball. He made it fun. That's why I like him."

Bona also mentioned the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo as someone with a story that provides motivation: "It's a big inspiration. I watch a lot of Giannis videos. I watched his life story. It's an inspiration to me."

While he has plenty of development ahead of him to reach the NBA success of those players, it's clear he possesses a lot of raw potential.

For Mick Cronin and the Bruins, Bona likely won't be a game-changer at both ends right out of the gate, but he should make a defensive impact and showcase steady growth offensively.

As long as he acclimates himself well, it could be a short one-year stay at UCLA before he shifts his focus toward the 2023 NBA draft.

The USC Trojans added a major piece to their future frontcourt Friday when center Vince Iwuchukwu joined their 2022 recruiting class.

The Montverde Academy product announced his decision on Instagram Live with Shams Charania of The Athletic. 

Iwuchukwu, who checks in at 7' and 220 pounds, is a 5-star prospect and the No. 12 overall player, No. 4 center and No. 3 player from the state of Florida in the class of 2022, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The list of teams that recruited the big man included finalists USC, Baylor, Kansas, Texas and UCLA.

The first thing that jumps out about Iwuchukwu's game is his ability to protect the rim on the defensive side. His height and athleticism allow him to cover plenty of space along the baseline and also control the glass as a rebounder.

Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports also pointed to how the prospect "has a good looking release on his jump shot and developing touch that extends all the way to the three-point line."

If he continues to make strides at the offensive level, it wouldn't be a surprise if Iwuchukwu is one of the best frontcourt players in college basketball during his career. His overall ability to score on the blocks, create matchup problems with his shooting and impact the game defensively has been on full display even before joining the Trojans.

Sports Illustrated noted in June 2021 that he averaged 15.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per night in 2020-21 and then impressed at the highly regarded Pangos All-American Camp by averaging 22.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 58 percent from the field.

While expecting him to put up numbers like that as a freshman may be setting the bar too high, it wouldn't be a surprise if he was a double-double threat every time he steps on the floor.

That would work well for USC, which will look to continue rising among the national ranks after reaching the Elite Eight last season.

Consistently landing playmakers like Iwuchukwu on the recruiting trail is the surest path to competing for more deep NCAA tournament runs, and the Trojans continued their overall program momentum with this commitment.

Nan Wooden died Tuesday at the age of 87.

Family members said, per Beth Harris of the Associated Press, that the daughter of famous UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden died of natural causes. She had suffered multiple strokes the past few years.

Nan Wooden was a familiar figure at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion and often attended Bruins home games even after her father retired.

Her father died in 2010 at 99 years old.

John is largely considered one of the best coaches in college basketball history. He led Indiana State for two seasons and then UCLA for 27 from 1948-49 through 1974-75. He won 10 national championships and reached 12 Final Fours during his illustrious career.

Nan is survived by three daughters, six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one brother.

UCLA basketball guard Jaylen Clark announced Thursday that he will be the first college athlete ever to launch their own cryptocurrency.

According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, the cryptocurrency is called $JROCK and it will be available on the crypto website Rally.

Bolch noted that those who buy $JROCK will have the chance to receive some perks, including access to special merchandise and the opportunity to star in one of Clark's YouTube videos. Clark is also doing a giveaway on Instagram for the first 100 people to buy $JROCK.

Clark has nearly 23,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 59,000 followers on Instagram.

Regarding his new cryptocurrency, Clark said:

"I love my fans and I'm looking forward to fostering a strong sense of community and providing exclusive access to what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a college basketball player.

"Joining the creator economy opens up so many possibilities and allows me to bring my fans into the experience, which is something I'm very passionate about."

Thousands of college athletes have branched out and explored earning opportunities this year since the institution of new NCAA rules on name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

College athletes are now able to use their name, image and likeness for financial gain, which has led to some high-profile endorsement deals. Clark is the first to explore the crypto environment, however.

Clark is a Riverside, California, native who is preparing to enter his sophomore season at UCLA in 2021-22.

He played somewhat sparingly last season, averaging 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game over 31 contests for a Bruins team that surprisingly reached the Final Four before falling to Gonzaga in overtime.

When Clark arrived at UCLA, 247Sports rated him as a 4-star recruit and the No. 124 player in the 2020 recruiting class.

The USC Trojans landed a commitment from elite 2022 prospect Kijani Wright.

The power forward announced his decision Wednesday, via The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears:

Wright is considered a 5-star recruit and the No. 12 overall player in his class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

At 6'9", 235 pounds, he has good size for the position to go with his developed offensive game. Jerry Meyer of 247Sports compared him to a young Al Horford, noting they "have similar size and a lethal jump hook."

Being compared to a five-time NBA All-Star is high praise, although Wright has the tools to live up to it as someone who can make an early impact at the next level. He can score at multiple levels, finishing with his back to the basket or shooting consistently out to three-point range.

Add in his solid rebounding and he could be a coach's dream in the post.

The California native doesn't have the athleticism of some other top prospects in the class, but his other physical tools should let him succeed without jumping out of the building.

With the Trojans, Wright should become an immediate contributor and likely a go-to option from the start of his freshman year. The double-double threat could be a key player as the squad tries to compete with the best teams in the Pac-12.

Head coach Andy Enfield led USC to the Elite Eight last season, and top prospects like this will keep the team rolling.

The forward could also be headed to the NBA before too long if he continues to produce at a high level. 

LeBron James has his eye on the next generation of basketball stars, and he praised both Dior Johnson and Emoni Bates at the Nike EYBL on Thursday:

Johnson starred for Vegas Elite, while Bates plays for Bates Fundamentals at the EYBL.

Each of these young players are among the biggest names in high school basketball, and both are rated among the top 10 in the 2022 recruiting class, per 247Sports. Johnson is the No. 9 player in the country and headed to Oregon, while Bates was a Michigan State commit before reconsidering his options in May.

While LeBron is clearly a fan of the sport, he has been tuning in to the high school game more often with his son coming up the ranks. Bronny James is currently considered the No. 30 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

Former Arizona State official David Cohen has filed a civil lawsuit against the school alleging that his termination was as a result of insisting the school investigate sexual assault claims against a booster, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

Cohen was fired from his position as senior associate athletic director in December 2019, which he saw as "clear retaliation" for his role in pushing for an investigation against prominent donor Bart Wear.

The lawsuit comes after a notice of claim filed in February, which stated Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson and other officials waited almost five months to begin an investigation into claims from three women of "assault and sexual harassment" against Wear, per Thamel.

ASU eventually canceled the booster's season tickets and determined he is no longer welcome at events after determining he "subjected the three women to 'unwelcome comments and physical contact,'" per Thamel.

Cohen's wife, Kathy, was one of the accusers, stating Wear touched her breasts at a Pac-12 tournament basketball game. Leslie Hurley, wife of men's basketball coach Bobby Hurley, also said Wear "inappropriately put his hand on her leg while talking with her."

Bobby Hurley blasted Anderson in an email last December, stating the athletic director "disregarded the safety and [has] shown no sensitivity towards the women that have experienced sexual assault," per Thamel.

The latest lawsuit alleges Cohen was fired only for pushing for an investigation and that he otherwise "received glowing reviews for his performance and the highest bonuses in the ASU athletics department."

There is no specific dollar amount called for in the lawsuit, but it states he is seeking "past and future wages and benefits, pre and post-judgement interest, compensatory damages, and mental health anguish and emotional distress."

Anderson received a contract extension in February that could keep him at the school through at least 2026.